To be stranded on a deserted shore after a shipwreck, or to throw something away.
To be left alone on an island after your ship sinks, or to throw something far away.
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
To be stranded on a deserted island or coast after a shipwreck.
"The sailors were cast away on an uninhabited island and had to survive for months."
I was cast away among savages.
— Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe, 1719
(literary/formal) To throw or discard something completely.
"He cast away every reminder of his former life and started completely fresh."
To be cast (thrown) away from civilization — specifically onto a remote shore by the sea.
To be left alone on an island after your ship sinks, or to throw something far away.
The passive 'be cast away' is the dominant form in the shipwreck sense. The active 'cast away' meaning 'to discard' is formal and literary. The 2000 Tom Hanks film 'Cast Away' popularised the shipwreck sense internationally.
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Listen to native speakers using "cast away" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.